Clothes conditioning-drying machine



May 14, 1968 J. T. mns 3,382,587

CLOTHES CONDITIONING'DRYING MACHINE AGENT May 14, 1968 J. T. CURTIS 3,382,587

CLOTHES CONDITIONING-DRYING MACHINE Filed Sept. 6, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /Nl/E/VTOR JOHN T. CURTIS y my #nw May 14, '1968 J. T. CURTIS 3,382,537

CLOTHES CONDITIoNING-DRYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 6, 1966 f@ F-IG. 6 70 big-z r' INVENTOR JOHN 7 CUR T/S United States Patent O 3,382,587 CLOTHES CONDITIONING-DRYING MACHINE John T. Curtis, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor to McGraw- Edison Company, Elgin, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 577,391 3 Claims. (Cl. 34-139) This invention relates to a laundry machine for preconditioning or drying clothes to prepare them for ironing or folding according to the character of the clothes.

Such laundry machines comprise a rotating drum having a perforated cylindrical wall through which heated air is passed as the clothes are tumbled. During use of the machine substances accumulate in the drum and become encrusted on the wall thereof to clog the openings through which the heated air is to pass. Such encrustations will result particularly, for example, if a plastic glove, sheet or comb is accidentally included in a batch of clothes put into the machine. When the encrustations begin to clog the openings it is necessary to clean olf the encrustations to maintain the machine in working condition.

Heretofore, the drums have been constructed by securing a single sheet of perforated metal or woven screen onto a cylindrical frame having an end head provided with a large central opening through which the clothes are inserted and removed into and from the drum. In order to clean a drum of this construction a worker has had to crawl into the drum or reach through the central opening and clean oi the baked encrustations as with the use of a blow torch, metal brush or other usable cleaning equipment. This procedure has been time consuming, difficult and expensive. l

Objects of the present invention are to provide an improved drum construction which can be cleaned easily and economically, which can be loaded and unloaded from either end, and which permits the use of the most eicient cleaning methods employing a blow torch, steam gun, caustic dipping tank, etc., without hazard to the workmen.

Features of the invention reside in providing a clothes conditioning-drying machine which is openable at either end, which can be tilted in either direction for loading and unloading at either end, which employs a drum having removable panel sections, and which has a removable closure in the top wall of the cabinet through which the panel sections can be unloosened and removed one by one for individual cleaning by the most etlicient methods apart from the rest of the machine.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and the appended claims.

In a description of my invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a clothes conditioning-drying machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the tumbling drum of the machine, showing one panel of the drum removed;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the machine;

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the machine;

FIGURE 5 is a fractional sectional view through one tumbling vane of the drum; and

FIGURES 6 to 9 inclusive are fractional sectional views through the upper portion of the machine showing the progressive stages involved in removing a peripheral panel of the drum from the machine.

The machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a welded base structure 10 including a base plate 11, horizontal corner angle irons 12, upright corner angle irons 13, front and rear panels 14 (fractionally shown) and side panels 15 fractionally shown. Above 3,382,587 Patented May 14, 1968 ice the base structure is a drum cabinet 16 supported at its four corners via respective air cylinders 17. Each air cylinder is pivotally mounted in an upright position in a corner portion of the base structure, and has an upright piston rod 18 terminating in a bearing 19. Each bearing receives a horizontal trunnion 20 secured to the frame structure of the tumbler cabinet 16. The frame of the cabinet 16 is made up of vertical angle irons 21, top horizontal angle irons 22 and bottom angle irons 23 all welded together at the corners to form a rectangular structure. This frame structure is closed by front and rear panels 24 fractionally shown, side panels 25 and a top panel 26. The front and rear panels have large central openings 27 circular in shape which are closable typically by sliding doors (not shown).

The main frame of the cabinet has open corner sections at the bottom framed oi by vertical angle irons 28 and horizontal angle irons 29 to form corner openings into which the air cylinders 17 extend. The cabinet has a complete bottom wall 30 between these framed corner sections which extends from one sidewall 25 to the other. Secured to vertical inset walls 31 of these framed corner sections are the respective trunnions 20.

If all four air cylinders 17 are operated simultaneously the cabinet 16 is elevated to provide access to the under side for servicing and repair of the drive mechanism. If the front or rear pairs of air cylinders are operated the cabinet is tilted rearwardly or forwardly to permit easy loading and unloading at the front and rear sides, or vice versa, as will appear.

A cylindrical drum 32 is mounted in the cabinet 16 k for rotation about a horizontal axis centered with respect to the circular openings 27. The drum has identical frusto-conical heads 33 at the ends provided with circular central openings which conform to the openings 27 of the cabinet. Connected between these heads at 60 intervals are higher and lower tumbling vanes 34 and 35 generally of a U shape having inclined sidewalls (FIG- URE 5) with anged edges 34a and35a on which metal frame strips 36 are seated. The heads 33, vanes 34-35 and metal strips 36 are all welded together to form an integral cylindrical cage-like frame structure for the drum.

Surrounding the drum where the heads are joined to the frame strips 36 are circular thrust rings 37 and circular running bands 38 inset therefrom. The drum is supported at each end by two rollers 39 which run on the bands 38. These rollers are journaled on shafts 40 carried by U brackets 41 mounted on the base plate 30. The rollers are spaced equally from a vertical medial plane through the axis of the drum to support the drum in a center position. Mounted also on opposite sides of the drum at each end thereof are two thrust rollers 42 which engage the thrust rings 37 to prevent the drum from moving fore and aft. These thrust rollers are journaled to U brackets 43 secured to angle irons 44 welded tothe cabinet structure. By rotatably mounting the drum in the manner here described, both end openings are kept free for loading and unloading the drum. v

The drum is rotated by .a motor 45 mounted on the under side of the cabinet structure. The motor is coupled by a belt 46 to a large pulley 47 on a jack shaft 48. This jack shaft is journaled in bearings 49 mounted also on the under side of the cabinet structure. Secured to the jack shaft is a smaller drive pulley 50 coupled by a belt 51 to a large sheave 52 on one end head 33. The sheave 52 is welded to gussets 53 which are in turn welded to the head. The speed of the motor and the transmission ratio of the pulley coupling system are such that the drum is rotated approximately 28 r.p.m.

Closing oif the drum from the cabinet Walls at the left side is a series of bai-lle plates 54, 55 and 56, and closing off the drum from the cabinet wall at the right side is another series of bafe plates 57, 58 and 59. These baflie plates are joined to the top and bottom walls of the cabinet but the bathe plates 57 and 59 terminate short of the cabinet walls to `provide openings 60 and 61 through which heated air can be circulated to pass through the drum as the drum is being rotated.

The |periphery of the drum is completed by six perforated arcuate panels 62 each extending from a midpoint of one frame strip 36 to a midpoint of the next strip as shown in FIGURES 3 and 5. The panels have apertures to receive respective stud bolts 63 Welded to the frame strips, and are held in place by nuts 64 threaded onto the bolts against lockwashers 64a. In addition, the panels are secured at each end by cap screws 65 which pass through apertures in the panels and thread into lugs 66 extending inwardly from the heads 33. In the top wall 26 of the cabinet is a central rectangular opening 67 of a length slightly greater than that of the panel 62. This opening is closed by a cover having angle irons 69 mounted thereon and overlying the sides. In the overlying portions of the angle irons are apertures received by cap screws 70 which thread into the cabinet structure to hold the cover in place.

Upon removing the cap screws '70 the cover can be lifted off from the cabinet 16 to provide access to the drum. It is not practical however to have the top opening 67 as wide as the respective drum panels; therefore, it is necessary to remove the drum panels in a sidewise direction, as will appear. The procedure for removing each panel through the opening 67 is as follows:

The drum 32 is turned by hand until one side row of studs 63, say for panel 62a, is in registration with the top cabinet opening 67 as shown in FIGURE 6. The set of nuts 64 and lockwashers 64a are then removed. The drum is then inched clockwise until the two central cap screws 65 are accessible through the opening 67, and then these cap screws are removed as indicated in FIGURE 7. Next, the drum is inched further clockwise until the next row of studs 63 for the panel 62a is accessible after which the nuts 64 and lockwashers 64a for this set of studs is removed as indicated in FIGURE 8. The left side of the panel 62a is then lifted up through the cabinet opening 67 and the drum is inched slowly counterclockwise while peeling the panel 62a therefrom and directing it out through the cabinet opening as indicated in FIGURE 9. This procedure is repeated as to each panel 62 until all the panels are removed. To replace the individual panels, the procedure is simply reversed.

When a set of panels has been removed they are readily cleaned of dirt, soil, encrustations, etc., by the most eiiicient procedure as with the use of a blow torch, steam gun, dirp tank, wire brush, etc. This procedure is fast and economical relative to the time consuming procedure which has been heretofore required when workers have had to crawl into the drum to reach the back end thereof. Further, the cleaning procedure is no longer in any way hazardous to the worker. Further, if each machine is equipped with a second set of drum panels, the second set can be installed immediately without waiting for the cleaning to be carried out so as to reduce the dropout time required to maintain the machine in Working condition.

The embodiment of my invention herein particularly shown and described is intended to be illustrative and not necessarily limitative of my invention since the same is subject to changes and modifications without departure from the scope of my invention which I endeavor to eX- press according to the following claims.

I claim:

1. A clothes conditioner and dryer comprising a housing including a base structure and a tumbler cabinet, an air operable tilt cylinder at each corner of said base structure having an upright piston rod pivotally connected to a respective lower corner portion of said cabinet to support the cabinet above the base structure, said air cylinders being oaperable in unison to raise and lower said cabinet in parallel movement and operable alternatively in pairs at the front and back of said base structure respectively to tilt the cabinet rearwardly and forwardly, a drum in said cabinet, mounting means for said drum comprising a running band and a thrust ring at each end of the drum, a pair of supporting rollers at each end of the cabinet engaging the respective running band, a pair of thrust rollers at each end of the cabinet engaging the respective thrust ring, said cabinet having openings at its front and rear sides and said drum having front and rear openings within the respective running bands and thrust rings which are registerable with the respective front and rear openings in the cabinet whereby the drum can be loaded at the rear or unloaded at the front when the rear tilt cylinders are operated and can be loaded at the front or unloaded at the rear when the front tilt cylinders are operated, said drum including cage-like frame structure and a series of perforated peripheral panels removably secured to said frame structure, and said cabinet having a top opening through which said panels are removable one by one as the drum is indexed to bring said panels into registry with said top opening.

2. A clothes conditioner and dryer comprising a cabinet having an opening in a sidewall thereof, a drum rotatably mounted Within said cabinet on a horizontal axis, means for rotating the drum, said drum having an end opening in registry with said side opening of the cabinet, said drum including a frame having circular end walls and parallel bridging members secured thereto at peripheral intervals forming a cage-like frame structure, perforated panels bolted to said bridging members forming removable peripheral sections of said drum, said cabinet having a top opening in the upper wall thereof through which said panels are removable one-by-one as the drum is indexed to bring the successive panels in registry with said top opening.

3. The clothes conditioner and dryer set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said panels is secured by a plurality of lock nuts along each side border thereof parallel with the drum axis, and wherein said top opening is narrower than the respective panels enabling a removal of the lock nuts along one side of the panel when the drum is in a first position, a removal of the lock nuts at the other side of the panel when the drum is shifted from said first position, and a lifting of one edge of the panel outwardly through said opening and removal of the panel thereupon in a sidewise direction as the drum is turned.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 13,922 6/1915 Bereaw 68--142 527,507 10/l894 Randolph 34-133 XR 2,825,453 3/1958 Lanquist 34-133 XR 3,316,658 5/1967 Strike 34-126 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

H. B. RAMEY, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A CLOTHES CONDITIONER AND DRYER COMPRISING A CABINET HAVING AN OPENING IN A SIDEWALL THEREOF, A DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CABINET ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM, SAID DRUM HAVING AN END OPENING IN REGISTRY WITH SAID SIDE OPENING OF THE CABINET, SAID DRUM INCLUDING A FRAME HAVING CIRCULAR END WALLS AND PARALLEL BRIDGING MEMBERS SECURED THERETO AT PERIPHERAL INTERVALS FORMING A CAGE-LIKE FRAME STRUCTURE, PERFORATED PANELS BOLTED TO SAID BRIDGING MEMBERS FORMING REMOVABLE PERIPHERAL SECTIONS OF SAID DRUM, SAID CABINET HAVING A TOP OPENING IN THE UPPER WALL THEREOF THROUGH WHICH SAID PANELS ARE REMOVABLE ONE-BY-ONE AS THE DRUM IS INDEXED TO BRING THE SUCCESSIVE PANELS IN REGISTRY WITH SAID TOP OPENING. 